Neglected Tropical Diseases

Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe Excerpts

Monday 3rd April 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe (Lab)]

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hayman, for her tenacity in keeping this issue high on the agenda and for giving the House this opportunity to consider the progress being made in combating neglected tropical diseases. It is certainly worth celebrating. In January, the WHO published an impressive catalogue of progress made in the prevention, control and elimination of NTDs such as Guinea worm disease, sleeping sickness, river blindness and trachoma. The collaboration between the WHO and the global NTD community has clearly had a tremendous impact, but the task remains enormous and we have only four years to meet the WHO’s road map targets. Although we are reaching more people than ever, we need to accelerate to stay on track. Last year’s progress report on the London declaration points out that the road map’s drug donation programme alone is not enough. The coverage and reach of programmes must increase for all these diseases.

I have two questions for the Minister. First, the UK Coalition against Neglected Tropical Diseases said that there must be national government leadership to integrate programmes with other health, water, sanitation and education initiatives. DfID has promised to help countries build “resilient, responsive health systems”. What priority are the Government giving to supporting health systems in the countries dealing with NTDs? What practical steps are we taking in the UK to ensure that donated treatments, surgical interventions and hygiene promotions are delivered to where they are so desperately needed?

My second point is about research. Even as some NTDs are eliminated, others will take their place. Mycetoma joined the list of poverty-related diseases last year. It is just one of the many tropical, poverty-related diseases affecting the same populations and sharing many features with NTDs. Advancing research and development is essential in tackling the next bend in the road map. Priorities must be debated, but the need for more research and funding remains constant. Globally, in recent years, 60% of clinical research on poverty-related diseases, including NTDs, has been conducted in collaboration with European member countries of the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership. Historically, the UK and France have been part of these collaborations, due to our former colonial ties. Several other European countries are now increasing their research interests in PRDs and collaborating both with each other and sub-Saharan African countries. Programmes such as EDCTP, promoting cross-national research, make this possible.

To make progress against these hideous diseases and future threats to global health, existing and new scientific partnerships must be able to flourish. It is so important that the UK collaborates with our European counterparts. Among the many uncertainties that lie ahead for UK involvement in European research programmes, has this area been highlighted in the Prime Minister’s agenda for Brexit discussions? Can the Minister reassure us that the UK’s research expertise and commitment to the London declaration goals will continue to play their part as we reach 2020?